We traveled along the main road for half a day. There was nothing to do on the carriage, and for the first time in my life, I had a conversation with Paul-oniisan.
“Did Paul-oniisan get a fiefdom too?”
“Yeah. One ranch and two villages……”
Paul-oniisan doesn’t usually show much emotion so it was impossible to read from his expression whether he was satisfied with the territory he had inherited or not. However, considering the size of the earldom, Paul-oniisan’s share is insignificant. Most of the territory must have been in the hands of Alexei-oniisan. Maybe Paul-oniisan is unhappy, but I think it’s a matter that should be left alone.
The carriage began to climb a gentle hill.
“Do you know what my island is like?”
“I don’t know much about it. I’ve heard that there’s a small house built there.”
“Hmmm……”
I assumed I’ll have a house there of course. Moreover, I had imagined a place like a manor house. But from the way second brother talked about it, I guess it would be something smaller than that. It’s probably just an ordinary private house. But that’s okay. I don’t want it to be so extravagant, as long as I can survive the rain and wind, that’s enough.
Oh, wait. Maybe I’m going to live there alone? I was thinking that there would be someone there who would take care of me…….
“Are there any servants there?”
He stared at me for a moment before turning his gaze back to the front.
“Cedie, you are going to live on your own from now on.”
I see, so there are no servants.
Ah, the sky is so blue……
It’s so dazzling that it makes me want to cry. The carriage climbed the mountain pass, and the sea spread out below.
“I can see Gandalcia.”
When I shifted my gaze in the direction where my second brother is looking at, I saw a small island in the wide inner bay. It’s not too far from the coast on our side so it looked like it would be easy to cross by boat.
“It’s not a very big island……”
“Yeah.”
As far as I can see from here, the surrounding area is surrounded by sandy beaches and cliffs, and I can’t see a single house.
“Are there people living in such a place?”
“It’s a deserted island.”
“Eh……?”
“You haven’t heard?”
For the first time today, Paul-oniisan’s expressionless face, showed a clear expression. It was a look of pity.
Yes, I think even the devil in hell would weep at this situation. I had imagined an island with a laid-back fishing village. No one told me that it was a deserted island!
I’m sure Mary, my wet nurse, and the others didn’t know it either. I can’t believe that it is a zero-resident territory. That sounds like the title of a well-written light novel, isn’t it?
Eh……? What is a light novel again?
It’s really strange. My memory is often clouded these days. It’s like memories from the past that I shouldn’t have experienced are coming back to me.
I hope I don’t have a strange illness…….
The carriage came to the shore with me still in a daze.
“You’ll have to cross over to the island from here.”
A path made of big rocks crashed by waves continues from the coast. Apparently, there is not even a bridge in my territory. It seems that once the tide is high, I will not be able to go to and fro the island. As I was unable to move, just standing there stupidly, Paul-oniisan called out to me in a gentler voice than usual.
“Do you want to come with me? If you want, you can work in the ranch.”
His kind words brought tears to my eyes, but I didn’t feel like doing so right away. It’s really hard to spend time on an empty island, but I want to see what the island is like first. Even though I am only 12 years old, I am the lord of that island.
“I’ll take a closer look at the island first. Can I give you an answer then?”
“I understand……”
Paul-oniisan didn’t hold me back, but he gave me a small leather bag instead. There were several silver coins in the bag.
“You can see the town over there, right?”
I could see a town by the sea far away. I can see a magnificent bell tower, so it must be a big town in its own right.
“It’s Lubon Town in the Simpson territory. There are many shops over there. If you have no other choice, you can buy something there to eat or something.”
“Oniisan……”
Suddenly, Paul-oniisan felt like a person closer to me.
“I was told that there are no dangerous creatures over your territory. But just in case, be careful. Have you taken care of your sword?”
I put my hand on the sword at my waist to make sure. The heavy weight strangely gave me a sense of security. As a child of a nobleman, I was also trained in swordsmanship extensively.
“Yes. I did.”
“Can you use offensive magic?”
“If it’s a fireball, I can.”
“If you can do that, there’s no need to worry. For wild animals, just shoot two or three shots of fireball and they’ll run away.”
Uh-, right. I have to worry about that as well. My outlook is still so naïve after all.
“I’ll be careful.”
“If you have no other choice, come to my ranch. I won’t provide you luxury, but I’ll make sure you can make a living.”
He gave me a small nod and then I watched as the carriage go. Only me and the ripples of the waves are left behind.
What will happen to me in the future?
The future seems to be as steep as the rocky path that stretched out in front of me.
“Eeeh!?”
When I looked closely, I found out that the rocky path is narrower than before!
Oh no, the tide is rising! I can’t stay here like this. If I don’t get to the house in the island today, I won’t even have a place to sleep tonight. I hurriedly lifted my heavy luggage and jumped onto the first rock that still stuck its head out of the water. Traveling along the lined-up rocks, I managed to reach the island of Gandalcia.
I fell on the way many times so my clothes and shoes were soaked. I sat down on the white sand and took a breather.
As expected, it’s a desolate island. As far as my eye can see from here, there are no man-made objects to be seen. There is a faint sign of a road, but the grasses are so bushy and tall that it seems difficult to walk through. There are also many lateral branches protruding from the trees along the road as well. If I were to maintain this place by myself, no matter how much time I had, it would not be enough.
I regretted coming here.
But—
Even though it’s such a terrible place, I somehow feel nostalgic. And although it’s my first time here, I feel like I’m somehow familiar with this area. In more complicated terms, it is like a déjà vu.
It felt like I was seeing a scene I saw a long time ago, a scene before I was even born. I looked around in search of something that would stir up my memory.
“…………”
But there is no way that’s true, right?
Perhaps I’m just too worried about the future and I’m having silly hallucinations.
Maybe I should have followed Paul-oniisan after all……
“No, no!”
I shouted loudly to encourage myself. I’ve only just arrived on the island, but I’m already feeling weak. At this rate I’ll just worry more about the future. I need to get moving instead of wasting my time crying.
Alright, let’s look for the house that is supposed to be somewhere here for the time being!
“Urgh….…”
When I tried to stand up, I suddenly felt dizzy and then I fell to one knee.
Was it because I got stuck on the sand? Or was it because the sun was too hot?
Maybe that was part of it, but the main reason was that the threads of memory that had been broken were suddenly connected.
—What was connected was a memory of my previous life. I can’t remember anything definite, but I recalled living in a country called Japan.
Then I came to realize it.
I remember it now!
It’s not wrong to say that this island looks familiar. It’s very similar to the game I loved when I was in elementary school in Japan. The game was called Island Maker.
“Island Maker” is a so-called slow-life game, a game in which you develop an uninhabited island by yourself and enjoy island life. The player can develop the island by working hard at farming or going on adventures. Anyway, I feel like it was a game with a high degree of freedom. Similarly, the game was supposed to start with the player arriving on the island and finding his house.
Then, if I go this way…….
Relying on the memories of my previous life, I walked through the tall grass on a desolate road.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
Previous ⚜ Table of Contents ⚜ Next
Yume Neiji's Works 